We live in what used to be a mining village and there's still one of the slag heaps from the mine here. It sounds a bit nasty but it's not, there's a landscaped path winding it's way up the side, it's been planted with trees, there are benches and picnic tables and it's surprisingly high - the path goes on for a long way and when you reach the end of it, you have to climb 100 steps to reach the top, from where you can see for miles.
For years there was a flagpole at the top, flying the English flag. However, it was stolen at the time of the Queen's Jubilee in 2012 and the large metal flagpole was actually sawn in half in the effort to get the flag and it's never been replaced.
Can you believe that someone went to that much effort to steal a flag when they were readily available in the shops at that time!
Anyway, when I was walking back this morning I noticed that it the flagpole had been replaced and the flag was fluttering away in the breeze - just in time for someone to steal it for the World Cup
I've taken this from the spare room window.